Legacy sequels continue to be the rage in Hollywood, with Scream turning out stories for a new generation, Harrison Ford giving fans another exciting look at his famous archaeologist Indiana Jones, and persistent rumors of a Tron 3, possibly with Jared Leto. The full list of upcoming 2023 movies offers a healthy mix of new stories pulled from old franchises, which audiences claim to enjoy. One of the ones we’re waiting patiently for, however, is Bad Boys 4, which will continue the adventures of comedic duo Martin Lawrence and Will Smith – a partnership that goes all the way back to 1995. Given their lengthy friendship, it’s no surprise that Lawrence shouted out his “For Life” partner Smith during his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. But what did Lawrence have to say about the in-production sequel?
These two have been getting along famously as of late. On Martin Lawrence’s birthday, Will Smith shouted out their powerful friendship on social media. The sequel has been beefing up its cast, including Bad Boys For Life returning star Vanessa Hudgens. And now Lawrence is spreading the hype to help get fans excited for a movie that… really should have been called Bad Boys 4 Life. I’ll never forgive Sony for missing that marketing opportunity. Opening up to ET Online, Lawrence said of the sequel:
It has the chance to be the best one of them all and everybody's doing their thing. We got a lot of the team back from the last one. Big Willie's doing his thing as always. And so focused and, yeah, it has the chance to be the biggest one.
I mean, what else is he going to say? But still, you can see how Bad Boys 4 directors Adil & Bilall have the potential to ramp up the action in their sequel, given how increased the stakes of the drama and action was in Bad Boys For Life. Car chases, helicopter chases, and a complicated backstory for Will Smith’s Mike Lowrey set the stage for a continuation, and once the sequel was officially confirmed, we all buckled down to figure out how the adventure might move forward.
Take a look at this great shot of money Martin Lawrence getting his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Marcus Burnett lives, and is ready to kick some ass.
For a time, we feared that Will Smith’s embarrassing “slap” incident at the Academy Awards might have doomed the possibility of Bad Boys 4, tarnishing Smith’s legacy and halting a revitalized franchise in its tracks. We still don’t know for sure how audiences are going to respond to more Smith performances. His Emancipation went right to the AppleTV+ streaming service, but it came and went with hardly a ripple. Bad Boys 4 will need to make a bigger splash than that, so let’s hope Martin Lawrence is backing up his words, and bringing the heat for the anticipated sequel.
